Portable Pegboard Display

As a small business owner, I find myself attending several markets and trade shows every year. I have been through several different display configurations but never really found anything that worked well for me. Most pre-built tables and shelves are either difficult to transport, inflexible with various booth sizes, or aesthetically unmatched with my products. So I decided to build my own!

A few key details

The cost of build materials comes out to about $200 for one display, but can be about $300 if building two at once. The final display stands 7 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and has feet that are 2 feet deep. With a bit of planning, you could build the display over a weekend. While trying out various displays, I settled on a few key things I wanted in a display:

Manageable

I often attend markets by myself and found it essential to have a display that I could set up and tear down easily on my own. Each piece has a handle that allows me to easily carry each panel under an arm with one hand. And the sliding tube and custom 3D-printed brackets make assembling the full panel a breeze.

Portable

A large display is only useful to me if I can easily get it to the market, so this display also needed to be able to fit within the rear gate of my SUV and pack flat enough to also fit the rest of my products and any other gear needed for an event.

Configurable

My products can change with the seasons, so I needed a display that I could modify easily to accommodate different types of products. Having 12 columns of pegs allows me to divide the space in quarters, thirds or in half with shelves while also dispersing hanging products around the display. Want to move something around? It’s as easy as moving a peg.

Durable

Using substantial plywood gives this display a solid stance whether you’re setting it outdoors on a windy day or even with lots of customers removing and replacing product throughout the day. The construction is solid and can take the wear and tear of multiple markets year over year.

Visible

One absolutely great aspect of this display is how it puts your products right in the customer’s field of view. Rather than bending over a table in a crowded room, having a tall display helps maximize visibility while keeping the footprint small.

The Result

After some trial and error, I finally constructed a portable pegboard display that works for me and my travel needs. I’ve used a pair of these displays or over ten shows now and they have really helped to improve my market experience. I constantly get compliments on them from customers and vendors alike. They’re easy to transport, quick to set up, and are a beautiful backdrop for everything I need to display. They’re so great!

Want to Build Your Own?

I’ve had a lot of inquiries on how to build these, so I’m pleased to finally have plans available so that you can assemble your own display to fit your needs. It comes with step-by-step instructions to guide you through the entire process—and even has some optional suggestions along the way to make it your own. Try it out and build your own pegboard display!